Content area
Full Text
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = Estuaries and Coasts (2016) 39:900915 DOI 10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12237-015-0046-0&domain=pdf
Web End = Erosion and FloodingThreats to Coastal Infrastructure in the Arctic: A Case Study from Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, Canada
Boris Radosavljevic1,2 & Hugues Lantuit1,2 & Wayne Pollard3 & Paul Overduin1 &
Nicole Couture4 & Torsten Sachs5 & Veit Helm6 & Michael Fritz1
Received: 20 February 2015 /Revised: 9 October 2015 /Accepted: 27 October 2015 /Published online: 12 November 2015 # The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract Arctic coastal infrastructure and cultural and archeological sites are increasingly vulnerable to erosion and flooding due to amplified warming of the Arctic, sea level rise, lengthening of open water periods, and a predicted increase in frequency of major storms. Mitigating these hazards necessitates decision-making tools at an appropriate scale. The objectives of this paper are to provide such a tool by assessing potential erosion and flood hazards at Herschel Island, a UNESCO World Heritage candidate site. This study focused on Simpson Point and the adjacent coastal sections because of their archeological, historical, and cultural significance. Shoreline movement was analyzed using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) after digitizing shorelines from 1952, 1970, 2000, and 2011. For purposes of this analysis, the coast was divided in seven coastal reaches (CRs) reflecting different morphologies and/or exposures. Using linear regression rates obtained from these data, projections of
shoreline position were made for 20 and 50 years into the future. Flood hazard was assessed using a least cost path analysis based on a high-resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) dataset and current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sea level estimates. Widespread erosion characterizes the study area. The rate of shoreline movement in different periods of the study ranges from 5.5 to 2.7 ma1
(mean 0.6 ma1). Mean coastal retreat decreased from 0.6 ma1 to 0.5 ma1, for 19521970 and 19702000, respectively, and increased to 1.3 ma1 in the period 20002011. Ice-rich coastal sections most exposed to wave attack exhibited the highest rates of coastal retreat. The geohazard map combines shoreline projections and flood hazard analyses to show that...